AWS

The AWS Certified Welding Fabricator program was designed to meet industry demand for a program that recognizes companies who can demonstrate they have the resources, procedures, and personnel to apply a quality management system to the welding fabrication activities. In turn, these companies gain a competitive advantage in the market because their customers can trust that the products they have ordered were fabricated under a quality system. Certification means the company cares enough about what it does that it is willing to invest the necessary resources to put a quality management system into place for its welding operations. It means that the company is willing to have someone else come in and look at what they are doing. It also shows that the company is qualified and committed to fabricate the weldments to required specifications, which results in fewer nonconformance's to the customer. A certified company's customers will have the assurance that it is an above-average fabricator. Fabricator Program Requirements Responding to industry demand, AWS has provides a welding certification program for companies that use welding as a joining process. The requirements for this program are set forth in an AWS QC17, Specification for AWS Accreditation of Certified Welding Fabricators and AWS B5.17, Specification for the Qualification of Welding Fabricators. These standards define the requirement for a company's compliance with welding-related functions and assures, through third party assessment, that the Welding Fabricator has the personnel, organization, experience, procedures, knowledge, equipment, capability, and commitment to conduct proper weldments. AWS B5.17 was developed through an ANSI accredited consensus process by the AWS B5 Committee on Qualification. The B5 Committee is composed of representatives throughout industry and academia who have interests and experience in the qualification of welding personnel and facilities. AWS QC17 was developed by the AWS Certification Committee. Fabricator Program Instructions Certification, or accreditation, is the process of documenting the conformance to stated requirements. For welding fabricators to achieve certification, a process has been defined in AWS QC17, Standard for Accreditation of Welding Fabricators for AWS Certified Welding Fabricator Program. Written by the AWS Certification Committee and administered by the AWS Certification Department, the certification program for companies involves several steps on the road to certification.